Gauff is self-critical after her defeat against Potapova at Roland Garros

Pedro de Pablos | 30 May 2026 | 21.13

Gauff is self-critical after her defeat to Potapova at Roland Garros.

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Coco Gauff has suffered the toughest defeat of the year after falling in the third round of Roland Garros 2026 against Anastasia Potapova and being unable to defend her title won in 2025. Additionally, in the subsequent press conference, she was very self-critical, admitting that she didn't measure up at certain moments.

The truth is that the American tennis player did not play poorly for a significant part of the match, but her hand shook at a critical moment and she was surpassed by a Anastasia Potapova who was brave and went for the game. While she stated that these ups and downs were not due to the pressure of defending the title at Roland Garros, she did express frustration at not being able to showcase on the court what she is capable of in training.

Gauff talks about the opportunities she had during the match

I don't know, I had opportunities. I think I was just trying to make more of those good points I was reaching and not finishing them off. I think that was the difference, that she could convert the important points and I didn't.

Errors during the match

I just didn't take advantage of certain opportunities. With the score at 3-3, I had a couple of break points and missed two or three backhands, which is unacceptable in that situation. I feel like I am training well, but when the moment comes, I can't execute it. Sometimes I do, and other times I don't. I think it's a learning experience, and I hope that next time I'm in this situation, I can make better decisions.

What was lacking this time

I just feel like I lost in the same way in Rome as here, which is not good. You never want to lose the same way twice in a row, and I did, and I also feel that it was somewhat similar in Madrid, losing in the same way. One thing is to lose, but I think today I competed, I fought with all my might, and I didn't play as I wanted in crucial moments.

Improving the serve

Yes, obviously the serve is more consistent, although I don't maintain it, which is the problem. I guess it doesn’t matter how many serves I hit on the court if the result is the same. Of course, I think grass will help me a bit more, but I believe I could have served more aggressively at certain times and practiced more plays that I train for today. I just didn't do it. Yes, it's more consistent, and now I have a lot of confidence in my serve, but at the same time, it has been broken many times, and I need to correct that.

Difficulties of playing against Potapova

In the second set, I broke her serve many times, and I could have held my serve, and maybe if I had held it once at 4-2, or to make it 4-3 instead of 5-2, it could have been different. Most players, I feel that when they have the advantage, especially against me, they get a little tense, and that was evident today. But obviously, when you lose the advantage, I have been in that situation and you are playing from behind, you feel much freer because you simply don't care. I think I need to have that same mentality when behind, play like that to get back ahead, and I need to find a way to make that mental switch to maintain that level of play when I have the advantage. I think with a score of 5-2 to 6-5, I played very well, and obviously the tiebreak was really bad.

Pressure of being the reigning champion

I think it influenced much more at the US Open. But honestly, not this time. I wasn’t really nervous. I was nervous in the first round, but after that, I wasn't nervous today, and I didn't even think about it. I think I learned from my experience at the US Open. I don't think it influenced the result, played a role in today's result, but well. I feel like I learned a lot from that experience at the US Open, and I am a better player since then. I just don't think I showed it today.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff se muestra autocrítica tras su derrota ante Potapova en Roland Garros

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